Ford
Jason Mraz was body painted by Trina Merry for Ford’s Go Further Campaign. The concept was inspired by Trina’s camouflage series.
“A campaign spotlighting Ford’s energy-efficient vehicles recruited singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, actress Felicia Day and health guru Rainbeau Mars. “Large companies like ours are much more comfortable being evolutionary rather than revolutionary,” says Toby Barlow, executive vice president and chief creative officer for Team Detroit, Ford’s ad agency. “We needed to reach a new audience—one that hadn’t connected with Ford, people who didn’t know we had a green and sustainable platform.”
“We are captivated by this artist who works with ‘invisible models’. New York-based artist Trina Merry masterfully uses paint to turn her models into amazing human chameleons. Merry’s artwork is so detailed you’ll forget there is even a person in her photos at all... they look effortless.”
Inspired by Trina’s camouflage series, Ford connected with Merry for their Go Further Campaign. The campaign was to market the company’s release of the Ford Focus Electric, Ford’s second production of an all-electric vehicle. The Ford Focus Electric is an option for environmentally conscious consumers, delivering zero- emissions. In addition to the emissions, the Ford Focus Electric combines recycled and renewable materials, green technologies, and manufacturing processes to create an all-around green vehicle. Climate change is changing the lives of every living being on the planet, and companies like Ford are making commitments to change the way they do business. Thomas Niemann, the Global Social Sustainability Manager at Ford, explains, “climate change is real and that the auto industry was part of the problem and can be part of the solution.” Ford has made progress in greening its fleet, using sustainable products such as soy-based seating foam, one the features on the Ford Focus Electric. Ford even has reduced water use by more than 10 billion gallons since 2000.
To celebrate their environmental strives, Ford wanted to promote its environmental values through body paint. Additionally, Ford wanted to reach an audience they have not connect with and people who did not know they had a green and sustainable platform. The campaign recruited singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, actress Felicia Day and health guru Rainbeau Mars. Mraz was camouflaged into the background of Lake Gregory, stating, “I really feel like we are immersed in the beauty of being up what our environment is capable of, which is an awesome way through a vehicle that blends in well with the environment.” Mars was body painted into the background of Sequoia National Park, and Day was camouflaged into the Santa Monic Pier. Trina was effectively able to blend the models and cars into natural environments, creating a beautiful illusion that explores topics about our relationships with nature.
Behind the Scenes Video Transcription:
Trina Merry: Hey, I’m Trina Merry. I’m a visual artist and today I’m camouflaging a car and a person. I’m really excited! I’ve never painted a car before so I don’t really know what to expect but I definitely am excellent at camouflage painting and I think it’s going to be amazing.
We’re here in Southern California where there’s the big drought and coming to a beautiful place like Lake Gregory, where they have water, and you can see the Earth is being taken care of, you really feel good about being apart of this campaign with Ford.
Jason Mraz: Hey, what’s up. I’m Jason Mraz. I’m here at beautiful Lake Gregory and I’m here today to be painted with the Ford Focus Electric. I really feel like we are immersed in the beauty of what our environment is capable of, which is an awesome way to focus on a vehicle that blends in well with the environment